One common method used in the navigation of aircraft is known as radio direction finding, in which the direction from the aircraft to a known radio source is determined using an antenna. Presently, many aircraft include automatic direction finders (ADFs) which automatically detect the direction to a particular ADF station using a directional antenna. However, the readings given by ADFs may not be accurate, and as a result, the ADF systems in modern aircraft may need to be regularly calibrated.
Current methods for calibrating an ADF system in an aircraft can be labor intensive and time consuming, and thus, expensive. The most common method for calibrating an ADF system involves initially pointing the aircraft directly at the known location of an ADF station, rotating the aircraft to various bearings, such as every 45 degrees, and noting the error at each bearing. The ADF error, such as quadrantal error, may then be corrected by tuning a potentiometer in the antenna.
However, the antenna is often not easily accessible, and can only be reached by crawling through small access channels within the aircraft. Also, after each adjustment, the entire process must be repeated until the quadrantal error is reduced to an acceptable level. Furthermore, other types of error, besides quadrantal error, can not be corrected.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and system for calibrating on-board aviation equipment, such as an ADF system, that reduces the amount of labor involved. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method and system for calibrating on-board aviation equipment that corrects for all types of error. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.